Free-to-Play FPS Splitgate 2 is in Trouble

Splitgate 2 is the latest title from 1047 Games, and was released on June 6, 2025. However, the studio laid off staff just two weeks after launch and, despite a recent game update, the number of PC players has tanked from an initial 25,000 to under 1,000 at the time of writing.

Splitgate 2 is a free-to-play arena shooter with a portal gimmick – players can chain these together to zip around maps and takeout rivals. It has Battle Royale and Arena modes, with additional weapons and skins available through in-game purchases.

“In Splitgate 2, first-person combat puts you immediately into portal-hopping action across three unique factions,” the developers said in a recent press release. “Set far into the future as humanity’s ultimate sport, Splitgate 2 grants you the ability to choose a faction and progress based on your preferred gameplay style and competitive strategies, while a large variety of arenas, weapons and modes keeps things fresh.“

F2P PVP

Splitgate 2 did not get off to an auspicious start. Ian Proulx, CEO & Co-Founder of 1047 Games, appeared on stage at Summer Games Fest wearing a ‘Make FPS Great Again’ hat and said he was tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year. He then revealed yet another free-to-play PvP FPS based on microtransactions.

Although gamers are used to microtransaction tricks, such as raising the apparent original price of a bundle purely so a discount looks more impressive, some Splitgate 2 players have balked at how these are included by a company that presents itself as pro-gamer. 

“Like many modern free-to-play games, Splitgate 2 uses a predatory currency system designed to make sure you never have the exact amount needed for a bundle,” said Reddit user DaikonOwn9367 in the game’s official channel. 

“Instead, you’re left with awkward leftover currency, subtly nudging you toward spending more money to ‘make it worth it.’ This isn’t new – it’s a tactic used by countless games to encourage overspending. But it’s disappointing to see it in a game that claims to be for the players.”

While other players have jumped into the discussion to defend this kind of thing, the point has been made that, for example, charging the price of a new game ($80 in this case) for a bundle of one character skin, one portal skin, and four weapon skins is obscene. 1047 Games did halve this amount following criticism, but is still drawing player ire for high store prices elsewhere. 

“I never in a million years would have thought I would prefer Call of Duty’s microtransaction prices,” said Reddit user II_JangoFett_II in a post two days ago, which has already received more upvotes than Splitgate 2 has players.

Proulx said, in a video post on X (Twitter) on June 9: “Our former head of monetization, who happened to come from Call of Duty, was with us for less than a year and was very aggressive on the pricing.” Players understandably called him out on this too, since he badmouthed Call of Duty on stage.

Take One For The Team

Proulx has been quick to jump on social media for most complaints against Splitgate 2, although he’s more often than not ended up putting his foot in his mouth by doing so, as with the above comment. 

When 1047 Games announced, on LinkedIn, that staff were being laid off, the company also noted that Proulx and co-founder Nicholas Bagamian would be taking one for the team, pay-wise: “We are sad to see our teammates go, and we are actively working to help them secure new opportunities. Further, our co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian have opted not to take salaries as we lock in to deliver the next phase of the project.”

However, once again, gamers were quick to point out that, at least in Proulx’s case, he comes from a moneyed family so this news amounts to little more than lip service; his dad, Tom Proulx, co-founded Intuit (developer of TurboTax and Quickbooks) and is an investor, and Chairman and CFO of 1047 Games.

The Future of Splitgate 2

According to SteamDB, the game has recently averaged just over 3,800 players during a 24 hour period, and this has been a pretty consistent pattern over the last few weeks. However, the player base also routinely drops to around 1,000 players and numbers have seen a constant decline since the game launched.

Players in the game’s official Discord channel have voiced concerns about the future of the game, with some even suggesting that the best thing 1047 Games could do is shut down for a couple of months then relaunch in a better, more stable, state. 

Others have noted that the game’s a sinking ship, with a lack of features that would genuinely make the game great, such as ping-based matchmaking and lobby leaderboards like FPS games used to have. 

As Discord user lostninja posted at the time of writing this article: “Splitgate 2 has the potential to make a spectacular comeback by addressing its current glitches and improving its low player count.”

“By revitalizing the game’s infrastructure and actively promoting it, Splitgate 2 can reclaim its spot in the competitive gaming scene and build a thriving player community once again.”